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If it’s too early in the process for you to buy an electric vehicle (EV), but you like the idea of buying less gas, then perhaps a hybrid is the way to go. Fortunately, there are plenty of options, and two that warrant a close look are the 2024 Kia Niro and the 2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid.
The Kia Niro is an impressive runabout with a surprisingly large cabin. At the same time, the Honda CR-V offers a lot of room and rugged exterior styling that might make you wonder if it’s ready to head off the pavement.
Let’s check out these two hybrid SUVs.
2024 Kia Niro
The 2024 Kia Niro is a big vehicle in a small package. It’s among the smallest in the class using its exterior measurements, but the engineers have made it surprisingly spacious inside.
The Niro is a compact crossover with an attractive exterior shape and room for a family of five while remaining nimble and quick in urban environments. It’s also a comfortable ride for a long trip, offering plenty of cargo space behind the second row for whatever you may need to take.
Pricing starts at $28,315, including the destination charge.
Kia Niro Highlights
Outstanding fuel economy: The new Niro may make you forget how to get to your local gas station, as its 1.6-liter 4-cylinder hybrid powerplant gets 53 mpg in the city, 54 on the highway, and 53 combined. That’s class-leading stuff, folks. Get in the car and just drive.
Sustainability: The cabin was designed with sustainability in mind. Many parts use recycled materials. The paint on the door panels is made without using various toxic substances. The headliner is made of recycled wallpaper, and the seats are covered with polyurethane made from eucalyptus leaves.
Leading warranty: It may use a new technology, but it gets Kia’s same old 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty — best in its class.
Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Niro models for sale near you.
2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid
The 2024 CR-V Hybrid received a makeover just one year ago. For 2024, it gets a new trim level, Sport-L, which settles in between the Sport and Sport Touring models. It’s an attractive and capable vehicle, and two of the three trim levels can be had with front-wheel (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) powertrains.
All three iterations of the CR-V Hybrid are powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder paired with two electric motors. The combination produces 204 horsepower. It also gets an EPA-estimated 43 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 40 mpg combined in FWD. Those numbers drop only slightly in AWD, coming in at 40 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, and 37 mpg combined.
The entire lineup is a good value, with prices starting at $35,400, including the destination charge.
Honda CR-V Hybrid Highlights
Take it with you: The CR-V Hybrid offers plenty of room to haul people and stuff. Behind the second row is a substantial 39.3 cubic feet of space. Fold that second row down, and you’re looking at 76.5 cubic feet of volume — excellent for a compact SUV. The smaller Niro offers 22.8 and 63.7 cubic feet of cargo capacity.
Leather seating: Starting with the new Sport-L, the CR-V Hybrid’s interior is furnished with black leather seats (with orange contrast stitching — if you had any doubts that it was rugged). The Niro Hybrid uses synthetic materials for all its seating surfaces.
Safety first: The automaker’s Honda Sensing suite of active safety features includes automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. Kia’s Drive Wise suite is also impressive.
Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the CR-V Hybrid models for sale near you
Similarities
As is so often the case when it comes to small utility vehicles, there are several areas in which they are alike. They carry five passengers, feature a hatchback for easy access to cargo, and offer attractive styling.
Conclusion
These hybrid SUVs are similar but not the same. While they look good on the outside, they don’t look the same. In fact, the Kia Niro is significantly shorter than the Honda CR-V Hybrid. This costs it some cargo space. On the other hand, the Niro gets much better gas mileage, and the starting price is about $7K less. Make sure to drive each, but they’re different experiences, so you may need to let your budget be your guide.
| 2024 Kia Niro | 2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid | |
| Starting Price | $28,315 | $35,400 |
| Popular Powertrains | ||
| Engine | 1.6-liter hybrid 4-cylinder | 2.0-liter hybrid 4-cylinder |
| Horsepower | 139 hp @ 5,700 rpm | 204 hp @ 6,100 rpm |
| Torque | 195 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm | 247 lb-ft @ 0-2,000 rpm |
| Transmission | 6-speed automatic | CVT |
| Fuel Economy | 53 city/54 hwy/53 combined | 43 city/36 hwy/40 combined |
| Also Available | AWD | |
| Specs | ||
| Basic Warranty | 5 years/60,000 miles | 3 years/36,000 miles |
| Powertrain Warranty | 10 years/100,000 miles | 5 years/60,000 miles |
| NHTSA Overall Safety Rating | 5-Star | NA |
| Max Seating Capacity | 5 | 5 |
| Wheelbase | 107.1 inches | 106.3 inches |
| Overall Length | 174.0 inches | 184.8 inches |
| Width | 71.8 inches | 73.5 inches |
| Height | 60.8 inches | 66.2 inches |
| Turning Diameter | 37.3 feet | 37.3 feet |
| Headroom, Front | 40.5 inches | 40 inches |
| Headroom, Rear | 39.5 inches | 38.2 inches |
| Legroom, Front | 41.5 inches | 41.3 inches |
| Legroom, Rear | 39.8 inches | 41 inches |
| Shoulder Room, Front | 56.2 inches | 57.9 inches |
| Shoulder Room, Rear | 55.4 inches | 55.9 inches |
| Cargo Volume | 22.8/63.7 cubic feet | 39.3/76.5 cubic feet |
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